


The Real Meaning of Love

by KoiKakera



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Wow I love these two, but dw there's no actual smut, contains vague descriptions of sex, just in the last part, minor spoilers for part 2 and 3, references to rabbit chats but no spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-18 23:09:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17590157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoiKakera/pseuds/KoiKakera
Summary: Izumi Iori never thought that love was necessary to him.That is, until he met a certain red-haired boy with an arm stretched out towards him, willing to pull him into the light and show him just what it means to love, and what love really is.





	The Real Meaning of Love

Tarnishing love was just as easy as acing a test for Izumi Iori. He had no knowledge of love, but rather, he didn’t need to know. All he knew was there were different kinds of love. Love like Nii-san, love like his parents, love like Usamimi Friends, or love like his fans. Those kinds of love were different and the easiest to him, however. He grew up with it and came to respect it.

 

However, that forbidden love he was taught wasn’t such an easy feat. He has come to learn about it’s outside features, like multiple girls confessing to him at school. He thought, ‘It’s more productive in life to ignore silly feelings and focus on your future.’ But when it came to Iori’s heart, love beyond platonic was foreign to him.

 

But the way he watches Idolish7’s beloved center, Nanase Riku, smiling brightly and bumbling about with all the members refuted those sort of thoughts. There were times when he’d stop thinking just to admire the appealing aura emitting off of the redhead, or watch him with a sincere smile as he gave speeches to the audience. Was it all in a fit of happiness? Love? What even was love? What was so perfect about love that gave happiness? Iori realized there was probably more about perfection that he never known than before.

 

Happiness to him was like Nii-san praising him, when he sees stray cats, when a new Usamimi Friends keychain swung in front of him on girls’ school bags. It was also the time when they won B or W, and especially Riku’s comeback as center with their hit  _RESTART POiNTER_. And in that moment, when he hears the vibrant voice of Riku echoing across the stage, making shooting stars fall from the sky, his heart palpitated. It hurt. But it was a good kind of hurt. A type of hurt that Iori couldn’t explain.

 

Maybe, in fact, he did love Riku. Maybe that love truly was the type of love he had never come to understand.

 

But he knew.

 

And there were times when he overshadows those feelings with endless scolding, times when he and Riku argue about many of the simplest things. Health, spending money, there was too many to count, and it never failed to space them out behind.

 

And yet, something about those fights left a pang of guilt within the deepest recesses of Iori’s heart, and although they usually make up within a day, he couldn’t help but wonder why they argue over such simple things, and why most of the causes was because of Iori’s worry.

 

Momo-san had always joked about them acting like a fighting married couple, Iori being the stern wife and Riku being the clumsy husband.

 

“That’s quite the depiction you have, Momo-san.” He says.

 

“Believe me, it’s true! Even Yuki said you two were like Re:vale 2.0!” Momo-san responded. “Next thing you know, five years from now, Riku’s gonna call you couple names like darling~!”

 

Iori blushes at the statement, wiping off any means to imagine that as he covered his mouth with his arm and stuttered, “I-I highly doubt that. We’re nothing more than unit partners.”

 

Ultimately, that one last sentence seemed to pain Iori a bit. Unsure of the cause, he brushed it off anyways, turning back to the studio where the rest of Idolish7 were.

 

Yes, there were times when he’d ignore love, brushing it off like when Riku barges into his room, beanbag in one hand and a bag full of his belongings in the other. He’d make himself comfortable, pushing past Iori’s protests, and the two sit in silence doing their own thing. Iori at his desk studying while Riku sulks into the star-patterned beanbag with a book in one hand. Occasional moments of gasping or giggles comes from Riku’s reactions to his novel. They’d stay like this for hours, but it felt just the same as if Riku never was there. Even if he did love the redhead, he’d rather keep it to himself.

 

But there were also times when he’d act on any occasion because of love.

 

Times when Riku was kept up at night, coughing endlessly as his lungs burnt. Sitting by him on the bedside was Iori, taking the redhead’s soft and cute hand with his two pale ones, watching the older one with his inhaler as his lungs calmed down a bit, water wanting to form up in those sapphire orbs.

 

Riku leans to the side, resting his head on the younger one’s shoulder as he drew circular patterns on Iori’s hand, staring at the empty mugs of warm milk and honey the younger had delivered in front of him.

 

“You can leave now, Iori, I’m fine. I’m interrupting your sleep, aren’t I? You have school tomorrow too...” Riku whispered lowly.

 

_‘Sleep doesn’t matter, not unless I have you.’_

 

It was... an unnatural feeling to him.

 

“I’m not going anywhere, Nanase-san.” Was all he could manage to respond with, taking his free hand to caress Riku’s locks gently as the latter drowsily leaned into the touch.

 

Ah, he really did love this boy.

 

As each day passed, his feelings of wanting to protect and cherish the precious centre grew stronger, and with every little cute thing the redhead did, his heart grew weaker and more prone to the urge to embrace him in his arms.

 

So much of his love grew over the course of a year, and he showed it in many ways. Smiling at Riku softer and gentler than he would with any other member, or being the first one to notice his spontaneous mood changes. Nikaido-san seemed to enjoy joking about it as much as Momo-san did, saying things like “You really are fond of him, aren’t you, Ichi?” or “Riku’s really dependent on you, y’know?”

 

Of course, he’d almost 100% of the time refute it with the same excuse: that he was just enraptured by Riku’s singing voice and how the redhead was childish enough to be dependent on anybody, being the spoiled sibling he is.

 

But of course, was that really the true case? Iori was never really an honest person, even Riku complains about how he never opens up.

 

It wasn’t like he didn’t want to, but rather he didn’t know  _how_. _  
_

He remembered that moment when he anticipated for Riku’s birthday, checking the clock every five minutes or so for about an hour, Nii-san and Ousaka-san laughing back about how impatient he was to Riku. And when worse comes to worse, when he had to say those three simple words to the redhead, his heart was ready to self-destruct.

 

When had he ever said “I love you”? The amount of times could be counted on one hand. He didn’t need to say it to let people know. To Nii-san and his parents, it was natural, and to fans, they knew, regardless of how cold he seemed.

 

If only it was just as easy as breathing, but it wasn’t.

 

And saying it to one person twice was probably a new record to him.

 

On the day he decided to finally confess to Riku, many drafts and plans ran across his mind. His images on how to set the perfect confession occupied his thoughts throughout the week. He had seen many shows with the most cliche confessions, such as under a cherry blossom tree or in the rain. Iori did admit he felt quite ashamed when his confession was to be in Riku’s room.

 

“Come in!” The redhead chirped in response to a knock on his door three times. “Ah! Hey Iori! What did you want?”

 

That cute smile always got him.

 

Stepping further into the room and closing the door behind him, Iori cleared his throat as the redhead put his book down on his bed and walked towards him.

 

Iori could feel himself flushing intensely already.

 

“Nanase-san, it’s an important matter to discuss, so please react maturely.”

 

Riku’s eyes widened. “H-hey, are you assuming I can’t handle serious stuff maturely?” He replied with a tone of intimidation.

 

Ignoring his pout, Iori began to embed his words into a bouquet of metaphorical roses.

 

“Nanase-san, you have made me felt something that I’ve never felt before. I didn’t want it to come down to this, but I eventually gave up, succumbing myself into these feelings.” He turned his head away as the redhead stared in confusion. “Why do I want to protect you so much? Why is it that whenever you smile at me or sing, I feel a sudden shock in my heart?”

 

“...A-are you sure you don’t have any heart problems, Iori?” Riku responded, worry and innocence in his eyes.

 

Oh, how pure was this boy.

 

“My health is in perfect condition. I just... can’t seem to get you off my mind recently. It’s like you suddenly make a cloudy day sparkling and sunny again, or glistening the night sky with shooting stars.”

 

It seemed that similes only made the explanation worse. Riku really was naive and looked past on the simplest things. Still, that was one of the things that made him irresistible.

 

“You don’t have to worry about me too much. I’m fine, okay?” Riku assures, placing his hands on the younger’s ones shoulders with a warm smile.

 

God, it was going to take decades if Iori kept at it with his wordplay.

 

Looking straight at those scarlet irises, he built himself up to say it, to say those words right in front of Riku once again, in a romantic meaning.

 

“I love you, Nanase Riku. I want to spend ten years, no, fifty more years—a lifetime—actually, with you. It’s not platonic love. I mean this 100% romantically, I can assure you that.”

 

By now, his face was covered in dark swatches of pink, covering his resisting smile with the back of his hand. “I will accept it if you reject me though, you have the right to.”

 

It wasn’t until a few more seconds later when Riku finally processed the moment, trying to come up with an actual response. Instead, he just repeated, “You like me...?” With a simple nod from the younger one.

 

What was Iori thinking? He regretted this. He regretted even falling in love with Riku in the first place. It was unrequited, no doubt. He saw how much Riku complimented and praised the manager, brightening up his thoughts about the times during his off days when he hangs out with her at the arcade, smiles patched on their faces as they struggle in the crane games. He knew Riku was probably not even capable of this type of feeling. He’d never expect him to feel something beyond a simple, childish crush.

 

So when the redhead simply opted to embrace Iori, arms wrapped around his shoulders without warning, the younger one thought the world had ended. It was a dream, wasn’t it? This is all just a dream. He reassured himself that multiple times in a second, until he felt the hot breath on his neck as Riku whispered, “I gotta admit, I’m surprised you out of all people like me like that, but... I-I kinda do like you too, Iori... like, a lot...”

 

And as soon as those words pierced his chest like a sword, Iori’s natural instincts returned the embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around the older one’s waist while pressing their chests together as close as they could.

 

There were no other words exchanged. There was no need to say anything. Their hearts connected more the harder they pressed themselves into each other.

 

So was this love? Was Iori’s question finally answered?

 

It didn’t seem so, when Riku slowly pulled away, smiling sheepishly with his hands still loosely gripping Iori’s shoulders.

 

“I’ve never dated anyone before, so I don’t exactly know what it’s like to love...”

 

In all honesty and no intent of offence, that was probably the most logical thing Riku has ever said to him.

 

“But- We can go through this journey together! We can both find out what love really is, right?”

 

Scratch that, that was the most  _beautiful_  thing Riku has ever said to him.

 

The redhead’s hands traveled down towards Iori’s pale and sweaty palms, nervous from the moment, holding them tenderly as he planted a quick kiss on the younger one’s cheek. “So yes, I do accept, Izumi Iori.”

 

And after those simple words, Iori began to understand more and more.

 

They’d grown closer, much closer to the point where they’d share anything together. A water bottle, spoons, and even clothes, but that was only because Riku didn’t bother cleaning his own clothes so soon, so he thought the best option was to steal Iori’s shirts. Yotsuba-san best not be behind this.

 

They’d grown so close that there was no need to keep space between them anymore, Iori getting any chance he could to use Riku as a lap pillow subtly or the two males bathing together, the redhead’s back against the younger one’s chest as the latter ran his soapy fingers through the fire-colored hair.

 

They’d laugh at the simplest things together, their own thoughts and feelings connected as if chained together by the red string of fate. Ah, how blissful was this love, Iori thought.

 

But although it may seemed like their journey of love was like a simple breeze, the hard truth pushed against them, compressing them so hard to the point where they’d almost break and shatter like gemstones.

 

Times where Riku would doubt himself, thinking he’d been a burden on Iori, times of doubt upon others, paranoid that maybe their feelings were just fake.

 

Riku would hide those tears, almost so perfectly that you’d think he was always happy and bubbly. But Iori knew his true colors. He knew just how broken inside the redhead could be. So when he sits on that same starry-patterned beanbag with a crying Riku cradled in his arms in an awkward position, breathing reassuring words of comfort into his ear and pecking at every inch of his tear-stained face, he understood.

 

“It’s okay, I’m right here, and I’ll never let you go. You’re never a burden to me, Nanase-san. All the times I’ve spent with you are not anywhere close to a waste.”

 

He knows very well that this journey was already going to be a bumpy ride.

 

Not just for Riku, but for himself too.

 

Believe it or not, there were many more times when Iori cried. He never shows it, and never needed to. If he wanted to cry, he’d let go into his pillow late at night, and even so, it would only be stained with a few droplets. But he knows he can show his true emotions to Riku, the person he trusts the most, along with Nii-san.

 

He laid down on top of Riku on his loft bed, crying quietly into his shoulder about causing trouble to the couple, bringing so much worry that it affected him and his partner in many ways.

 

“You’ve never caused trouble for me, Iori, only the best. I love you.” Riku assured gently, stroking his slender fingers into Iori’s navy-blue hair with his right hand while draping the other over the younger one’s waist. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry...” Iori would whimper, but a kiss on the forehead would calm him down. And because these moments happened late at night, it never fails to end with the pair of boyfriends mushed onto each other as they dozed off beneath the streak of moonlight, not minding the awkward positioning that made their limbs sore.

 

So love was mysterious. It wasn’t as easy as Iori thought it would be, with all the fights and angst, but it was also as impossible to obtain happiness as the sky being blue.

 

Eventually, with Riku’s terrible secret-keeping skills and his big mouth, everyone found out. The first being Nii-san, then Nikaido-san, shortly followed by Rokuya-san (who awed with a sing-song tone about how beautiful love was), Ousaka-san, and then Yotsuba-san, who was quite clueless in general about love, despite showing interest himself.

 

Then it spread to the TakaPro staff, along with a lengthy and clamoring lecture from the President about how risky their relationship could be, but continues to allows it with many precautions anyways. Re:vale was the next to find out, with their shocked reactions being more or so “half-assed” as they “knew it all along”.

 

Trigger was the final group to be informed, with a wave of a rage and hatred washing over them by Kujou-san. The Trigger center was indeed against the idea at first, threatening Iori if he ever did something unthinkable to his baby twin brother. But after all, Riku was born with that drawing appeal, soon getting his twin brother to at least try not to threaten something illegal on Iori.

 

And even though dating as idols, with another idol in the same group, with the same  _gender_  was a big issue, their group mates, Trigger, and their senpais all welcomed the relationship with kind hearts, suddenly giving Riku such an idea that they can be as intimate as they wanted in front of their friends. Unfortunately, it did not go so well for the perfect high schooler who thought public affection was shameless.

 

“Iori~ why won’t you ever cuddle on the couch with me?” Riku whined shamelessly, locking his arms around the younger one’s waist as they walked towards the living room.

 

“I told you, it’s not necessary! If you want to do it, do it privately!” Iori scolded, frankly glad that no one else was around.

 

“Hmph. But everyone knows! It doesn’t matter.”

 

Iori blushed at Riku’s remark, finding no way to wedge out of his statements. Instead, he stopped in the middle of the dorm hallway, turning to face the redhead to pinch his cheek aggressively.

 

“Oww that hurts!” He groaned in response, prying off Iori’s hands and rubbing his hand against the new red spot of his cheek.

 

“You can do whatever you want with me as much as you like, as long as it’s not in front of the others.” He sternly explained, smile growing on his face mismatching his words.

 

And when Iori meant whatever, he really only meant it to keep Riku’s mouth closed.

 

Unfortunately, that’s not what the latter had in mind.

 

It had been about three more years when the redhead decided to put that plan in action. The term “whatever” was vague enough, but for such an innocent boy to come up with  _that_?!Iori takes it back, this was most certainly a dream.

 

Still, it’s not to say that he didn’t enjoy it. It was a new concept for both of them with no experience whatsoever, yet they decided to make the best of it.

 

Discarded clothes were messily scattered on the ground beside Riku’s bed, only the sounds of scuffled breaths panting in sync and muffled moans echoed through the thin walls. For such a rigorous activity, Iori denied this multiple times, to which the older one responded in pouts of irritation, assuring himself that he’d be fine through the process. What was worse however was the fact that Riku ended up on top, which meant even more work to drain himself out.

 

But no matter how much Iori wanted to scream his partner’s name, to be unable to feel his thighs anymore, to have his lips swollen by passionate kisses, and to have his body covered in red marks that would certainly need a whole bottle of concealer to cover, in the end, he had to spend the aftermath draping his naked, sticky body over Riku’s sitting one to make sure their heartbeats were the same, to make sure the older one’s breathing was still normal.

 

Not only was love mysterious, but it was a flame of emotions, like a wildfire spreading across a forest. Sadness, guilt, happiness, passion, desire; all of those qualities were what Iori had come to as a conclusion.

 

But something was incomplete. He didn’t feel satisfied, and he knew there were still many more years on the clock left for him to find that satisfactory knot that would tie it all up in the end.

 

It was five years ago when he had met Riku, five years ago when he discovered the foundations of love, four years ago when he left his boyfriend for days with Nii-san during his fight with Nikaido-san, and just only six months ago when he walks into the entrance of their new single-bedroom apartment just a block away from the studio, cramped and compact, but still easy to live in.

 

“I’m home, Riku.” He calls out, shortly followed by a lightning-fast paced male who ran towards the door and threw his arms around the other, adding a peck on his lips for maximum comfort. “Welcome home, Iori.”

 

Their life together was a risk. Walking towards their apartment together was a risk, even being seen together was a risk. Scandals never leave and rise and the crack of dawn. They’re everywhere, rumours were everywhere, and no fan decides to keep their mouth shut.

 

But when Iori and Riku walk side by side under the evening sky in a lonely park, the tranquility they feel hones their time together as they contently sway along with the wind, the only other sound being the faint clacking of the rings on their fingers as their hands intertwined.

 

“Hey, Iori, I think I understand what love really is now.” Riku sighs, watching crumpled green leaves spiral against the wind.

 

“Hm, I’d like to hear it.” Iori says, chuckling a little at the level of cheesiness that sentence was.

 

“Love is a feeling no two people think the same about. They’re like snowflakes, gentle to the touch, light, and very pretty.” He stops in his tracks, causing the younger one to mirror his movement to lock his serious fiery-red orbs with deep ocean-blue ones. “But they’re also fleeting, melting quickly once they touch the ground. You’d get sad, seeing all that beauty go away, that one-of-a-kind pattern disappearing. They may be different, but all share the same fate in the end. If love disappeared from a person’s heart, everyone will experience a menacing sadness.”

 

Iori’s eyes widened, giggling at the string of sentences while covering his smile with his free hand. “Since when did you become so poetic, Riku?”

 

Riku’s smile mimicked Iori’s, laughing as he replied, “I started reading more poems, I thought I’d expand my literature beyond just novels.”

 

As he turned his head right to left, looking around to be cautious of any witness, he slung his arms boldly around the younger one’s shoulders, leaning in until they were just about a few centimeters apart. Water sloshed around in the nearby pond as the wind picked up.

 

“But in conclusion, love is your existence. Without you, I might never love the same way...”

 

Without any protest, Iori could definitely agree on the same thing, slipping his hands around the older one’s slim waist and pulling him into a messy kiss.

 

Every ounce of love was put into it, just like any other moment they shared. The taste of passion, desire, thirst and roughness was just the perfect combo to deliver Iori’s lips to Riku’s. Their mouths moved in sync, begging for more as the kiss deepened, tongues tangled and moans mumbling as Riku clawed his nails deeper into Iori’s shoulder. So lost in the heat of the moment, they forget their presence in their surroundings as they tried to keep their balance.

 

They pull away almost in unison, a moist and puckered sound escaping from their removed lips and a contented moan as Iori ran his tongue along Riku’s bottom lip before releasing fully.

 

Breathless and exhausted from the fierce moment of love they shared, the older one rested his forehead against Iori’s, closing his eyes as he listened to the sound of their heartbeats with rustling foliage harmonizing in the background.

 

He ran the back of his fingers along the younger one’s jaw, stroking it tenderly, chests still glued together and smiles still stuck on their flushed faces.

 

“I love you, Izumi Iori.”

 

It was heartfelt and surprising, how Riku was always so bold with anything, how he could sweep Iori off his feet at any time with even just three simple words, and how he make the younger one’s heart palpitate so much since the day they met.

 

“I love you too, Izumi Riku.”

 

* * *

 

Iori understood what love was now. It wasn’t just his partner, it was his past, present, and future. Love was unpredictable, but it was a story, a film, a whole collection of your fate. It came in all different shapes and forms. He no longer felt a limit; it wasn’t just love like Nii-san, his parents, Usamimi Friends, or fans. It was love like Riku, his voice, his beauty, his aura, his body, it was his world.

 

For as long as he’ll remember, even if his questions have been answered, there are still more aspects of love out there he has yet to reach.

 

And someday, he hopes to discover them all with the male right in front of him.

**Author's Note:**

> this was only supposed to be a short drabble HOW IN THE WORLD DID THIS TURN INTO 4000 WORDS OF GAYNESS WITHIN 2 NIGHTS??
> 
> but anyways! I wanted to try a new plot/writing style like this and hopefully I make of these timeline-ish fics in the future!
> 
> okay but I literally wrote this whole thing just for those two special lines at the end if you know what I mean ;)
> 
> I love Iori and Riku with all my heart and soul uwu  
> I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> also hmu on Twitter (rikuwu7) and Instagram (aidoriku) if you wanna scream about Ioriku with me more!


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